NY Paper Sues for Names of Gun Permit Holders

A New York newspaper has sued Putnam County to release the records of pistol permit holders so they can reveal who has gun permits on their website and in their newspaper. The county has denied two Freedom of Information Act Requests and an appeal.

The newspaper first requested information from Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties following the Newtown, Conn., shooting massacre. It made another request after the state passed a gun control law allowing permit holders to apply to keep their names and addresses private.

County executive MaryEllen Odell is confident the Putnam County will win. The other counties, Westchester and Rockland turned over the information. The newspaper publishes a map identifying people in those counties that have handgun permits, revealing the location of people who have firearms in their house.